Although fangs and their blood-sucking owners have been around for centuries turning into bats, hiding from the sunlight and avoiding garlic, this past year their popularity seemed to explode into pop culture. From television to movies to books, consumers have sunk their teeth into the vampire frenzy in 2009, but will the same be true for 2010?

"Vampires look like us," said Jerry Pierce, an assistant professor of history at Indiana University Northwest, who said part of the attraction to vampires is their human sensuality. "We can identify even with that sex element. And they always wear leather. Werewolves in leather just doesn't work."

Glenn Sparks, a professor of communication at Purdue University Lafayette, said what made recent vampire stories, such as TV's "The Vampire Diaries" and the books and movies of the "Twilight Saga" popular is the stories are about how we relate to each other. He said people are aware that we need human connection beyond social networking sites and cell phones, and teens especially are exploring those relationships.